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Marking actions as someday/maybe? Thread Tools Search this Thread Display Modes
Hi,

I've used other gtd apps (iGTD and Things) and they have expicit support for marking actions as sometime / someday / maybe.

This makes them disappear from normal view for projects but show up on a special list (that I can review say every 30 days instead of daily).
The context and project information remains unchanged.

Is there a feature in OmniFocus that gives me similar behavior?

Thanks,
nyenyec
 
Currently, OmniFocus deals with someday/maybe actions by using an on-hold project or context to contain them.

I'm a little surprised, but I don't actually see a request in our development database for what you're requesting here. Please email the support ninjas so we can add it. Thanks!
 
In my opinion, OmniFocus' "on hold" approach is much more flexible than a dedicated folder or list for someday/maybe items. Being able to put an item on hold allows you to keep it in its original location, nestled in the proper project and folder. I don't want to have to move it to mark it with a "maybe" status.

Now, the ability to place an individual action on hold might be a nice feature (in addition to the already exiting capability of putting projects and single-action lists on hold). But I'm pretty sure that feature request is already in the database.

-Dennis
 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Toadling View Post
In my opinion, OmniFocus' "on hold" approach is much more flexible than a dedicated folder or list for someday/maybe items.

-Dennis
Not working for me. If you have an action in "Single-Action List" and you put that action "on hold" context and the original context was contact "John", next time you working in context mode you trying to check how john is doing - he's not there. Hmm maybe I should look for him in "on hold" context list or "on hold" project list and that list is really BIG, or should I use searh bar or spotlight? or maybe it's already completed? For me it's Counterproductive. And I can't put "John" context on hold because only that action with him on hold.
 
Quote:
Originally Posted by savan7 View Post
Not working for me. If you have an action in "Single-Action List" and you put that action "on hold" context and the original context was contact "John", next time you working in context mode you trying to check how john is doing - he's not there. Hmm maybe I should look for him in "on hold" context list or "on hold" project list and that list is really BIG, or should I use searh bar or spotlight? or maybe it's already completed? For me it's Counterproductive. And I can't put "John" context on hold because only that action with him on hold.
I think you misunderstood. Dennis is requesting the ability to put single actions on hold without changing their contexts, just like projects can be put on hold now.
__________________
Cheers,

Curt
 
Have you tried having a couple of on hold contexts, e.g. one for your teammembers only, in addition to your contexts for other things?
 
I don't use any on-hold contexts; instead, I put something on hold for a specific period of time by setting its start date to "+1w", "+1m", "+1y", "+20y" or whatever.

That said, we've already unified the status model of actions, projects, and folders for OmniFocus v2, so you'll be able to put actions on hold or change their status to dropped. (Before someone asks: we're still busy putting OmniFocus v2 back together after that change and others; we don't have an estimated beta date yet. Still have 1.7 to finish first!)
 
Quote:
Originally Posted by curt.clifton View Post
I think you misunderstood. Dennis is requesting the ability to put single actions on hold without changing their contexts, just like projects can be put on hold now.
Uh, sorry I misquoted, it was for Brian. My post was about the same missing feature.
And Thank you Ken - that's a good news!

Last edited by savan7; 2009-06-11 at 06:49 AM..
 
I'm very new to OF and really enjoying it. I am, however, a long time user of iGTD (version 1.x and never needed anything else). To be honest, I only switched because the iGTD development is dead. iGTD has several features that I will miss: "maybe tasks" being one. Why? Because I think that there are important taxonomic distinctions between "on hold" "Someday/maybe" and "Maybe (as used in iGTD)."

On hold (which iGTD doesn't have) is really nice when there are projects that you know you want to do (or must do), but that are reasons it can't be done now, and that this may hold up something else for a while, or that you want to just put away until "later." But the key thing seems to be that it isn't so much a matter of "well, maybe yes, maybe no" as a prioritization - you still are committed to it...but it's, well, on hold.

Someday/maybe is like a level below that. A project (or collection of actions) that maybe someday I'll do it, but it's not really a dependency of or to anything. Unlike on hold, I'm not committed to it. Certainly the "on hold" flag will work for this, but it's really a different conceptual classification in my opinion.

Maybe, as used in iGTD, is action specific and really valuable. Suppose there is an action related to a project and you haven't decided if the action really is necessary or not. You need to store the action with the Project because it makes no sense putting it on its own. Maybe my project is "Remodel Kitchen." I put in the actions and actions groups. Then I think "it might be nice to have an extra garbage disposal in the second sink. Maybe I'll call the plumber, but I'm not sure yet. So I make an action "CALL the plumber about second garbage disposal." I mark it as "maybe" and keep it in "Remodel Kitchen." I don't want to look at it when I want to focus on those actions that I know I MUST do, so I can make it invisible in iGTD. Being able to mark an action as "maybe" within the project was a wonderful feature in iGTD.

I'm sure there are workarounds in OF, although I'm too much a newbie to know all of them yet. I could probably change the description of the action to "DECIDE whether or not to get a second garbage disposal" and set a start date for it. But this isn't quite a "quick brain dump" that I liked about "maybe" actions. And instead of simply toggling (as you can in iGTD) between current and maybe actions, I have to look for future items. The problem there is...the "maybe" actions are mixed in with the "must do but it's not time yet" types of actions.

Anyway, no app can please everyone's work style. While I'm confident I can make OF work for me, I do think there are distinctions between a project "on hold", a project or action that is "Someday perhaps" and an action that is tied to Project/Context, but is itself "maybe." I thought iGTD was clever in its approach.

Just my two cents as an OF newbie who is really enjoying working with OF so far!
 
 


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